Campaign Diary 2

Session 1

8th of September

The party is tasked with tracking down the source of recent disapperances on Kiniden. They find and kill the hag Callista who has been turning children into ettercaps. Most of the children are rescued.

Session 2

10th of September

A strange recurring dream of an elven woman haunts Raphaël.

12th of September

The party investigate reports of strange activity from a cemetery near Greystone. They find undead roaming the tombs and dead grave robbers. After dispatching the undead and restoring the tomb's warding braziers, they return to Greystone.

13th of September

The investigation of the grave robbers lead them to a name, Belor Hathavir. The party goes to a seedy bar to investigate further, learning of the Black Rose gang.

Session 3

14th of September

The party heads north, chasing after the Black Rose gang. They are ambushed by bandits on the road, but dispatch them.

15th of September

Arriving in Pinehollow, the party learns that a ship, the Tempest Swirl, went missing from the docks the night before. They also find an abandoned carriage in the woods that matches the description of the one the Black Rose gang was using.

Session 4

15th of September

The party goes back to Greystone, where they meet Professor Bizintier.

16th of September

A day of downtime in Greystone, spent at the Harvest Festival, while waiting for the ship to Cottenhorn.

17th of September

The Heimdall's Hammer leaves Greystone.

18th of September

The party arrive in Cottenhorn.

19th of September

The party set out north. They meet a soothsayer on the road who offers Raphael a single draw from his Deck of Many Things. Raphael, of course, draws the Donjon card and is taken to a nearby pocket of the Feywild. The party manages to track him down and escapes with him from the Eladrin who have him captured, making it to Roslake as dusk sets.

20th of September

Arriving in Deephaven without further incident, the party arrange for passage to Callatis.

21th of September

The party arrive in Callatis, where they find a house that belongs to Black Rose. They find a map, but are ambushed as they leave.

Session 5

21th of September

The party defeat the ambush after a close battle and decide to leave town while they can. They hire a ship to take them to Solstice, hoping to catch a teleport to Greystone and then go to Myrknes. The ship they are travelling on runs into a hydra, which is also defeated, earning the crews respect.

Session 6

22nd of September

Arriving in Solstice, the party meets with Grandmaster Grenwen before teleporting to Greystone. The party meet with an alchemist of the Merchant's Guild, ordering two potions of fire resistance. They also meet with Artificer Elyana, trading some loot for an experimental crossbow device before setting out north in their cart. The night is spend at an inn halfway to Myrknes.

23rd of September

The journey to Myrknes continues. On the road, the party find a caravan under attack from air elementals, which are defeated in the windy mountain pass. After a full days travel, the party arrives in the dwarven city of Myrknes.

Session 6

24th of September

The party journeys north to the tomb of Jarl Arleif after learning of its location from the loremaster of Myrknes. They arrive at sunset, finding hired thugs outside, whom they dispatch. Venturing into the tomb, they find Black Rose and Belor Hathavir. As they ambush the grave robbers, the tomb's protective enchantments activate, raising Jarl Arleif and his honor guard to fight once more. After a drawn-out fight, the party stands victorious, and claim Jarl Arleif's tome of research on the Dragon War.

Session 7

24th of September

Finishing up in the tomb, the party emerge into into the rainy evening and interrogates Black Rose, learning of her master, the Scarlet Fury. They seize the grave robber's stolen boat and start sailing towards Pineharbor.

25th of September

Full day of sailing towards Pineharbor.

26th of September

The party arrive in Pineharbor, returning the stolen boat to its proper owner. They buy a wagon and set out for Greystone.

27th of September

Upon arriving in Greystone, the party are rewarded by Templar Dunling for dealing with the grave robbers. He asks the party to investigate a bad batch of healing potions that the Pilgrims received. Artificer Elyana convinces the party to act as test subjects for her latest contraption, a Mechachimera siege machine, which they barely defeat.

Session 8

28th of September

The party investigates the bad healing potions further, tracing the source to a bad shipment of Feverbush bark from the FTC. As they report their findings to Templar Dunling, the hospital is attacked from within by large lizard creature, whom the party dispatches. Finding the home of the poor man who was turned into one of the lizards, they find he was an employee of the FTC. The FTC stonewalls them, insisting the matter has been handled internally. They also have an audience with Count Aurius Dawnstar, who dislikes the FTC's recent power grabs.

When the most pressing concerns have been taken care of, the party set out for Maeral, where the Feverbush was grown. On the ship to Iacaris, Lord Flashheart gives religious advice to a Goliath whose tribe has lost the favor of Thor.

Session 9

29th of September

The party meet Lyra on the ship to Iacaris and agree to adventure together.

30th of September

Arriving in Alyn Iunaes, the party walk the rest of the way to Tel Edhil. They sleep at the Shrine of Arwyn Elsiter, the main Pilgrim outpost in the city.

1st of October

Investigating various leads in Tel Edhil, the investigation takes them to the Royal Arcanaeum in search of a Luxite crystal. The enchanters tell them that they had a Luxite crystal which they used to create a golem defender, which went haywire. Not wanting to involve the City Guard, the party is quickly recruited to take care of the problem, which they do.

Session 10

1st of October

The party lick their wounds before heading to the Stargarden to try and find more information about Raphael's patron. They learn of a cryptic poem, but access to the library is predicated on getting an invitation to the grand elven ball being held two days from now. Raphael uses his courtier contacts to find invitations for the entire party.

2nd of October

Raphael and Lyra spend the day in the library, eventually finding the poem they were searching for.

3rd of October

The night of the elven ball. Lyra meets her uncle there. Several other dignitaries are also spoken to.

4th of October

The party heads for Maeral.

Session 11

4th of October

Arriving in Maeral, the party quickly finds the FTC outpost, whose leader is tight-lipped about her sources. They investigate the market and inn, and learn some more information about the island, deciding to sleep before setting off south.

5th of October

In the morning, the party visit the FTC outpost again and a heated discussion erupts into violence. The party wins without killing any FTC members. Now knowing where they need to go, the party quickly skips town and heads towards Ambar Atador. On the way through the wet swamps they run into several lizardfolk who are fleeing from a giant mutant frog. The party makes a stand and dispatches the froghemoth without too much trouble. They are invited to meet with the lizardfolk chieftain, which they accept.

Session 12

5th of October

The party attend the feast in the lizardfolk village. The village wise-woman Uma grants Lyra a vision that lets her commune with the spirits of the swamp.

6th of October

With the help of Mora the scout, the party reach Ambar Atador and start clearing it from Slaad, burning the eggs in a hatchery cave. In an underground apartment, they encounter Tirmena, who upon being defeated turns into a Death Slaad, which is also defeated.

Session 13

6th of October

The party finish clearing out Ambar Atador, ending the threat of Slaadi-infested herbs. Heading back to Maeral, they sleep in the lizardfolk village.

7th and 8th of October

The party arrive in Maeral and take a ship to Alyn Iunaes. The journey is cold but otherwise uneventful.

9th of October

The party arrive back in Greystone.

Session 14

9th of October

Templar Dunling congratulates the party on a job well done on Maeral and informs them that Grandmaster Grenwen is expected to come to Greystone in a couple of days.

12th of October

Meeting with Grandmaster Grenwen. The party are officially designated a semi-autonomous treasure hunting squadron, tasked with tracking down artifacts and thwarting the red dragons they encountered before. High Adjunct Tialvar tells the party to seek out the leader of the silver dragons atop the Argent Summit on Estia, and the party head for Myrknes.

14th of October

The party arrive in Myrknes. Confusion sets in as the guards believe them to be grave-robbers who plundered the tomb of Jarl Arleif, which is only partially the case. However, they are allowed to walk free after being identified as Pilgrims by the local branch. The party also learn of Kaisa Stouthorn, a ranger who lives close to the city, who might be able to assist them in their mountain-climbing adventures.

Session 15

10th of October (flashback)

Talking with Artificer Elyana, Thundin is informed that the new luxite crystal for his energy-bolter is far more powerful, but will require reinforcing the stablizers with sky-iron before it can be incorporated. Elyana also takes possession of the froghemoth tongue, having ideas of how to use it to improve another project of hers.

14th of October

Heading for Cliffwatch, the party finds a dead owlbear in a clearing. They eventually find a cave with a pack of peryton, who are slain after a quick but tough fight. The large peryton alpha was a roosting female, and one peryton egg is now in the party's possession.

Session 16

15th of October

After sleeping in the peryton cave, the party head to Cliffwatch and recruits Kaisa to be their guide to the Argent Summit. They set out immediately, and cleverly avoid an ambush by ice trolls. Kaisa is wounded in an avalanche, making the party seek cover for the night. During the night, they have a close encounter with a yeti hunting pack.

Session 17

16th of October

The party continue their trek up the mountain when a silver dragon lands by them, chased by a larger white dragon. After making battle with the white, it is slain by Frank who rides the dragon as it crashes into the mountainside. The silver dragon, Eridia, is very thankful for their help and flies off to tell her kin of their coming. After a short march further, camp is made by a waterfall.

17th of October

Arrival at the Argent Summit after a relatively uneventful day's march. A thankful Tepyristes, leader and broodfather of the silver dragons who live there, grants them an audience where many questions are answered about Jarl Arleif's research.

20th of October

After spending a couple of days at the Summit, Tepyristes teleports the party to the Grand Refuge. A divination ritual reveals the Dragonstaff in the hands of a Drow Elf, possibly in the Underdark.

Session 18

20th of October

Meeting with High Adjunct Tialvar, relaying what they learned from Tepyristes. The High Adjunct is pleased that the party visited the Argent Summit so quickly, and will use his considerable network of spies to try and find more information about this mysterious dark elf. During a research session in the library the party learns that a drow settlement is located somewhere below Cottenhorn.

21st of October

The party sets off towards Alyn Iunaes as passengers on a cargo ship.

22nd of October

Early in the morning, the party wakes up to the ships bell. The ship has run into sudden, dense fog, possibly spotting another ship close by. The other ship is spotted, drifting with no sails up. Deciding to investigate, the party rows over, finding the ship deserted and eerie. However, it doesn't take long until the remains of the sailors rise from the deck and attack. A fierce deck-by-deck fight ensues, in which Frank is killed. By the grace of the Thundergod, he is however brought back from the other side by Lord Flashheart. After catching their breath, they investigate the bottom hold and find a stone sarcophagus from which they can hear scratching. Intent on finishing the job, they open it and dispatch the mummy inside. As the mummy is defeated, whatever magic had hold of the ship dissipates, and the fog lifts. The captain on the ship that carried them here informs the party that by right of salvage, the ship is now theirs.

Session 19

22nd of October

Emergency repairs are made to the newly captured ship as the party heads back to Solstice. The ship is renamed the Freya's Purpose

24th of October

The party arrive with their ship in Solstice and begin repair work and hiring crew. A handful of Pilgrim Knight recruits are enlisted as deckhands. Claire Beckett is hired to be the Quartermaster onboard.

26th of October

With repairs complete, the Freya's Purpose sets out for Alyn Iunaes.

27th of October

The Purpose runs into a squall of water elementals, led by a Marid looking for tribute. After a scuffle, the Marid is turned into a mouse and swiftly dealt with.

28th of October

Freya's Purpose arrives in Alyn Iunaes. Quartermaster Beckett is left in charge while the party are going towards the mountains.

Session 20

28th of October

Passing through Tel Edhil, the party stock up for the coming adventure, as well as recruit a guide for the mountain. The black-clad and glaivebow-armed Caeran nan Iacaris agrees to be their guide. Together with Caeran, they set off for the Isnelymer.

29th of October

A grueling day-and-a-halfs's march to the foothills of the Rhimer Peaks. The party feasts on a deer they shot in the Edhiltharel forest.

30th of October

On their first day up the mountain, the party find themselves in a crevasse covered in Brown Mold. They manage to fly past it, only cracking a few ankles with an imperfectly judged landing.

1st of November

The party wakes up to a pair of Remorhaz outside their tent. Some quick-witted action and bagpipe-playing saves them from fighting the insectoids, but the tents had to be left behind.

Up on the snowy plains, they met a squad of revenants, undead warriors mindlessly driven to patrol the freezing vista. By shooting first and asking no questions, the revenants are brought down. Some of the revenants were wearing the insignia of the Teccan Empire, which fell almost 250 years ago.

On a desolate mountainside with stinging winds bearing down on them as twilight falls, the party are spotted by a large pack of Wyverns in the distance. Thinking quickly, they start erecting the Tiny Hut, protecting Raphael while he finishes casting the spell. Frank rides three wyverns into the mountainside, killing them.

Session 21

2nd of November

After resting in the Tiny Hut, the party continue their trek up the mountain. After almost a full day's walk, they arrive at a long-forgotten battlefield, where a rune-inscribed stele marks the spot where Aerilwyn died.

After searching the area for clues, they eventually spot a second stele, this one guarded by undead frost giants. The party ambush the giants, killing one of them instantly. Raphaël gets the final blow, when he charges and gores the final giant using a mammoth form provided by Lyra. The second stele marks the entrance to a cave, where a force-barrier blocks their path, but the lightning magic of Thor eventually overcomes it.

At the end of the tunnel, they encounter the final stele, a polished marble obelisk inscribed with the Bladesinger's Poem. Rising to the challenge inscribed on the obelisk, they fight, and narrowly defeat, echoes of the Bladesingers who are buried here. This opens up the path down to the Ten's Final Sanctuary, where Raphaël claims Nilisnebar, the amber sword once wielded by Aerilwyn, and which now contains her sentience.

Session 22

3rd of November

After sleeping in the Tomb of the Ten, the party makes their way down the mountain. They spot an Ice Hydra waiting to ambush them and decide to rid the world of this monster. After dispatching it, a druid swoops down from the sky, having spotted them fighting. He thanks them for slaying the hydra and offers to teleport the party to Tel Edhil, an offer which was gladly accepted.

In Tel Edhil, the party says their goodbyes to Caeran the Ranger and head for the Hearth, whose great fireplace provides respite for our frozen adventurers. Many drinks are had during the afternoon.

4th of November

At the Royal Arcanaeum in Tel Edhil the party unloads some of the treasure they have found, and buy some others. Afterward, they head for Alyn Iunaes and their ship, which Quartermaster Beckett has kept watch over. They set off for Greystone, but find Arhitael Amberdew floating on some flotsam in the sunset. Her ship, the Antelope, was sunk by pirates and she now desires revenge. After some divination magic, a new course is set, due east, in order to find the pirates.

5th of November

Searching around the Forsaken Isle yields no pirate ship. The Purpose keeps sailing east.

6th of November

Halting their search for pirates for now, the party makes landfall on Cottenhorn to find and aid a Goliath village that have lost Thor's blessing.

Session 23

6th of November

The party make their way to the village of Kattafjell, where they meet with Chieftain Alarik Shalefist. After explaining they are there to help, they are told the story of Jarmo Snowgale in full: 20 years ago, he went to the Shadowfell and never returned. Since then the village has had a long streak of bad harvests, leading to a major population decline.

The party are invited to a small feast, where they realise that there is some Shadowfell-magic at work here.

7th of November

Leaving Kattafjell, the party are ambushed by gnolls, lead by a half-demon Flind. Frank perishes in the fight, but is once again brought back from the dead by Lord Flashheart. They return to the ship to gather their strength and to devise a plan.

Session 24

7th of November

The party set sail for Arastfjord, with a stop in Alyn Iunaes to try and find out where the pirates they are hunting could be hiding.

9th of November

The party visit the Rusty Anchor, a sailor's bar in Alyn Iunaes. They learn that pirates are known to inhabit the archipelago of Harborough, which is later backed up with divination magic. It is decided to go to Harborough first.

11th of November

While sailing through the Harborough islands, the party is spotted by a green dragon, whom they manage to defeat.

Session 25

11th of November

The party descend into the lair of the green dragon Thisoles, taking the underwater entrance where kobolds have set traps for any coming enemies. They manage to ambush the kobolds in the central chamber. Lord Flashheart and Raphael bring down intense magic that wipes out most of the kobolds instantly.

The prisoners are thankful for being freed. They were traded to the dragon by the Cruel Mistress as tribute to pass through these waters safely. One of them is a fellow of Arhitael, and they are happy to be reunited. They provide some intelligence on the pirate ship the party is after.

In the inner chamber of the dragon's lair, the hoard is guarded by two massive displacer beasts, Alchus and Abrus, who are slain after attempts to pet them were unsuccessful.

Session 26

11th of November

As the party sail away from Thisoles' lair, they spot the Cruel Mistress. They attempt evasive action in order to avoid combat, but they are spotted and a chase ensues. The slightly faster Purpose keeps its distance from the pirates, giving the party enough time to regroup and come up with a plan. Raphael, Frank and Lord Flashheart flies over, intending to disrupt the pirate ship. They rain destruction from above until their flight spell is dispelled. Noticing their friends are in trouble, Captain Thundin turns the Purpose around, and a boarding action ensues. While the battle was close, the party comes out on top, capturing the pirate ship and freeing the prisoners.

With the captured ship in tow, the party heads for Solstice to rest and recuperate.

Session 27

13th of November

The party arrives in Solstice where they leave the captured ship in the hands of the Pilgrim Knights. They secure passage by teleportation circle to Greystone together with Alvin Cassaro, who is in a hurry to get to Covenant. In Greystone, the party take some downtime, and Thundin upgrades his crossbow together with Artificer Elyana.

16th of November

The party rides for Covenant, hoping to catch the horse-racing derby there.

18th of November

In Covenant, Lyra attempts to race her new horse Pumpkin in a qualifying heat, but sadly falls short of qualifying for the derby. Frank is polymorphed into a horse and wins a race. In the derby, Alvin Cassaro wins atop his stallion Django. Taking in the upper-class life of Covenant, a visit is paid to the Buckliss Theater.

20th of November

The party sets out for Arastfjord in their newly repaired ship.

Session 28

21st of November

The party arrives in Arastfjord, a small city on the southern coast of Estia. Talking to the Pilgrims at the Tomb of Halvdan the Bold, they learn that the portal has been sealed, and will remain so unless Baroness Miranda Keswick gives her approval for the mission.

Meeting with the Baroness, she will not approve of opening the portal unless she has assurances it will stay closed. The party call on reinforcements from Solstice, who teleport in shortly. This is enough for the Baroness to consent, and the party is joined by Captain Stephanie Fairbanks, the local Spear commander, for the upcoming dangers. Captain Stephanie was part of the crew that closed the portal a few years back, and was marked by shadow magic while doing so.

22nd of November

The party goes through the standing stones near Arastfjord into the Shadowfell. While walking, they encounter a trio of magically mutated beasts circling a tree. One of the beasts emits an Antimagic Field that disrupts the party's tactics greatly. Lyra falls in the battle, but is brought back by Lord Flashheart. The party finds Trevan the Nothic in the tree, who offers to guide the party after they saved him.

Session 29

22nd of November

Heading deeper into the Shadowfell, the party comes across a herd of Skulks who are quickly sent on to another afterlife. They do not manage to sneak past the Houndmaster's hut, but manage to defeat the Houndmaster with overwhelming force and Enchantment magic. Sparing the life of the Houndmaster's companion, they gain a safe place to rest in the unforgiving lands.

23rd of November

Heading down to the skull-shaped cave at the center of the shadowy fjord, the party dispatches some Sorrowspawn that patrols the beach. Lyra manages to polymorph one of the Sorrowsworn into a cow before charming and persuading it to tell her what it knows of upcoming dangers.

Session 30

23rd of November

After a short rest, the party head into the skull-shaped cave. After dispatching some sentries, they explore the cave and find the Death Tyrant Zaphtar. The battle is a close-fought affair, with Lord Flashheart almost being petrified and Raphael almost being disintegrated. After shattering the floating skull and defeating the insane Zaphtar, the party find the corpse of Jarmo, still wearing his Warplate. Along with a suspiciously life-life statue of a goliath warrior, the party extract themselves from the cave and head for the portal. To get everything up the steep cliffs, Lyra polymorphs Frank into a giant ape.

Session 31

23rd of November

While heading for the portal back to the material plane, the party hears wolves howling in the distance. Seeing dark shapes entering the portal, they hurry up and join the defense while Healer Delrynd hallows the ground to seal the portal again. Before the portal is fully sealed, mist starts emerging from it and a large fiery wolf - a spawn of Fenrir the Banished - bursts through the portal and attacks. The party do battle with the wolf, until the wolf's master arrives, a Nightveil wolf-spectre atop a winged beast. The Nightveil makes for Arastfjord, but the party is able to cut down its mount and slay it after it falls from the sky.

With the immediate threats dealt with, Healer Delrynd restores the goliath statue recovered in Zaphtar's cave. The statue becomes Tanja, a female goliath who was a companion of Jarmo, and she has been petrified for 20 years. Together with Tanja, the party heads back to Arastfjord to report their success to Baroness Miranda and enjoy a night at the inn, where plenty of Arastmead is consumed.

24th of November

The party says their farewells to Captain Stephanie Fairbanks, and sets off for Solstice with Healer Delrynd and his squad of Spears.

Session 32

27th of November

After an uneventful journey from Arastfjord, the Purpose drops anchor in Solstice. In a meeting with High Adjunct Tialvar, it is said that there might be trouble in Callatis soon, but that if action is taken there, it might be best to do it stealthily. A visit is also paid to the Inquisitors in the Grand Refuge's dungeons, where Flame-fists the pirate monk is being held captive. The party learns of his order of monks in the Underdark who are trying to harness the power of dragons, under a drow elf leader named Manistes.

28th of November

Arriving in Kattafjell, the party finds the village in an even worse state than when they left. The last couple of days have seen fires, howls in the night, and now the Senja - the village wise-woman - is missing. After a quick prayer with the recovered idol of Thor, the party join in the search and set out with Tanja. After an hour they meet an un-phased Senja walking with some goliaths, but suspicion is quickly raised, and it is revealed that Senja is a Yochlol named Razgolla, who has been causing trouble in the village for many years. Razgolla flees deeper into the woods, while her gnoll escort is dealt with.

When the party reach Razgolla, she is just about to summon a beast from the Shadowfell, but by focusing all their fire on her, they disrupt the foul ritual and rid Kattafjell of its scourge, once and for all.

Session 33

28th of November

With the threats to Kattafjell dealt with, the party are welcomed back as heroes of the village and share ale and stories with Chieftain Alarik and Tanja. In a midnight ceremony, the remains of Jarmo Snowgale are buried outside the village shrine.

As the festivities wind down, the party receive a message that a Pilgrim Knight spy is in trouble on Callatis. They are to contact an agent with the codename Griffin once they arrive. Without sleeping, the party trek down to their ship, rouse the sleeping crew, and set sail for Callatis in the dark night.

29th of November

Not wanting to arrive in Callatis by ship, the party disembark via magical flight an hour away from the city. As they walk in, they notice dragon-riders patrolling above the city - Callatis has come under the control of red dragons. As stealthily as they can, the party go to the designated meeting place and make contact with Griffin. He explains that Sunshine, another agent, has gone missing. On the way to meet with one of Griffin's contacts, the party run into a patrol of dragonborn and listen in to their conversations, learning of Orises, the leader of the dragons in Callatis, and that the dragons are moving a captured spy the next morning.

Frank attempts to move a little closer, which spooks the patrol. Combat breaks out and the party manages to defeat the patrol and escape before the dragon-riders joins the fight. They meet with Hides-Her-Paws, a Tabaxi who used to work in a villa where Sunshine is suspected to be held, and convince her to tell them what she knows about the place. After meeting back up with Griffin, they plan their next move.

Session 34

29th of November

The party execute a heist on the villa of Taesio nan Cohornae, a wealthy spice merchant who lives on the outskirts of Callatis, in order to break out Sunshine, an agent of the Seekers. They manage to pry a window open and silently subdue a pair of guards. Questioning the guards, they learn of a dungeon below the villa, where a prisoner is being held. Sneaking down to the dungeons, they take out the guard, locking him in the cell and freeing Sunshine.

Sunshine insists they go back up to Taesio's private study and recover his business ledger, which contains details of his cooperation with the dragons. However, the party trip an alarm on the safe containing the ledger, alerting Taesio and the guards to their presence and a fight breaks out. Deciding to make a run for it before any dragonriders arrive at their location, the party barely make it out of there carrying Orises, the leader of the Redscale Legion, who was polymorphed into a possum by Lyra.

With a dragon rider hot on their tail, the party just manage to escape in the alleys of Callatis, and regroup with Griffin in a safe house. After a brief interrogation that did not yield much information, they dispatch Orises and leave Griffin to hide the body while they attempt to sneak out of town and back to their ship to go to Solstice.

Session 35

29th of November

Sneaking out of Callatis, the party almost make it out unscathed before they are ambushed in a canyon by a lone Redscale tracker dressed in black armor. He manages to blow his hunting horn, calling a dragonrider patrol. A fight breaks out, but the party come out on top and make it to the waiting ship just as dawn breaks. Giving orders to sail for Solstice, the party gets a well earned rest aboard the ship.

30th of November

After the party sails into a sudden thunderstorm, Lyra brokers peace between two quarreling storm giants and secures safe passage for the Freya's Purpose. Once they arrive in Solstice, High Adjunct Tialvar asks them how they intend to prepare for their journey to the Underdark. He gives the party a sealed letter to the Grandmaster of the Pilgrim Knights, should they want to embrace the light, bringing the purging radiance of the sun along with them.

The party decides to go with the High Adjunct's plan, and pay a visit to the Grandmaster. He tells the party of the Justicars, judges who are chosen among those Pilgrims who show most aptitude for channeling the light of Freya. Accompanied by the Grandmaster himself, the party visits the secret monastery where the Justicars train. They meet with the Justicar of the Eternal Flame, the veiled leader of the monks on that island. She assigns Luthanna nan Iacaris, a Novice of the order, to go with the party into the underdark and learn from the outside world.

Back in Solstice, they take custody of Flame-fists, the Shadar-kai pirate they captured, after making a deal with him that he can have his freedom if he leads them to the entrance to the Underdark.

Session 36

1st-3rd of December

The party take some well-earned downtime preparing for their excursion into the Underdark. Lyra learns of a legendary instrument that is possibly in the Feywild. Frank goes shopping for a new cloak. Eventually the party get their horses in a row and head north for Tembridge at the direction of Flamefists.

4th of December

Flamefists leads the party to a cave southwest of Tembridge, where he says he emerged. However, there is a slight complication in the fact that trolls and spiders have taken up residence in the cave. Managing to sneak past the outer guards, the party soon comes to blows with a very large troll, managing to dispatch it despite Lord Flashheart taking a big beating. At the far end of the cave, they find a path that heads continually inwards and downwards.

Session 37

4th of December

Descending deeper into the Halcyon caves, the party enter the web-filled lair of the Queen Drider Arasta. They encounter a patrol of spiders led by a daughter of Arasta, which they dispatch despite several party members becoming poisoned by the spiders. They find a cocoon containing a drow elf at deaths door. After reviving him with a healing potion, they learn his name is Hathor and he was heading to the surface when he was ambushed by Arasta. He tells the party that by using speed, they could make a dash past the spiders, jumping into a hole in the floor in the central chamber of the lair.

Deciding to act on this advice, Frank is dispatched to act as bait with his bagpipe. He and Luthanna draw the attention of enough spiders for the rest of the party to drop into the hole, Lord Flashheart carrying the still-cocooned Hathor over his shoulder. The last to leave Arasta's lair is Thundin and Frank, who leap into the abyss together.

After making camp, Hathor tells them to avoid the drow outposts ahead, as not all his kin will be as tolerant of 'surface-dwellers' as he was. As thanks for rescuing him, he gives them a scroll bound with a signet ring before limping away into the lightless tunnels of the Underdark.

Session 38

5th of December

After resting in Thundin's Tiny Hut, the party start their trek through the vast expanse of the Underdark. They encounter a strange crystal formation which seems to resonate when subjected to specific elemental energies. By subjecting it to all the elements at the right time, the crystal shatters, revealing a ring of prismite.

Walking deeper, they encounter a patrol of drow (including the still-poisoned Hathor) in a large underground crevasse. The drow says they are hunting illithids, and direct combat is narrowly avoided, despite the leader of the patrol growing very suspicious when she finds out the party and one of her subordinates know each other.

Past the drow, the party comes across a lake they need to cross. They quickly see that something is living in the lake, and determine it to be a pair of Wastriliths, a type of foul corrupting demons. Raphael manages to make a deal with the demons to bring them food in exchange for passage, and the party set out hunting in the nearby caves. Following tracks left in soft mud, they eventually find a deep rothé. Upon closer inspection, it turns out however that the deep rothé is petrified, and they have walked into a thunderhide basilisk lair. The basilisks do their best to defend their lair, but are swiftly beaten, as is the Behir that shares the lair. One basilisk is dragged back to the Wastriliths, distracting them just long enough for the party to pass the lake.

Session 39

6th of December

The party continue their journey towards the Scaled Sanctuary. In a cavern filled with a mushroom forest they meet a stampeding herd of deep rothé, led by two myconid herdsmen. The herd is running from a hunting pack of hook horrors, which the party engages and successfully defeats. The myconid, in very broken common, indicates their village is nearby and invites the party there.

Accepting this invite, the myconid show the way through a very narrow crevasse, and the party emerge into a lush oasis lit by glowing lichen. They meet Chief Jur-blub-dep, who talks far better common than most myconids. He tells the party that there might be a shortcut to where they are going, but he wants the party to do one more thing for him before he will tell them.

Jur-blub-dep explains that the local object of worship, a being named Bul-ra-min, has become corrupted and must be purged from his shrine, near the village. The myconids are not sure what has happened to Bul-ra-min, but none who go to the shrine have come back. The party accept the deal and go to investigate. Bul-ra-min's shrine is an overgrown cave, and Bul-ra-min sits in its midst, an overgrown corpse-flower whose enchanting spores spellbind most creatures it can catch unaware. The party are not unaware of the dangers ahead - they hack and burn their way through Bul-ra-min and its minions. Only Raphael briefly succumbs to the plant's charming spores and is pulled into the stinking flower alive, but manages to escape before he is consumed. Once the being is dead, the corpse of a Mind Flayer is found in its belly, and they party theorizes that could be the source of the corruption.

When they return, they find Chief Jur-blub-dep in a somber mood but happy to know the village shrine has been cleansed. He grants the party a wreath of magical flowers and mushrooms, and arranges for a guide to take them on the hidden routes of the myconids to where they are going.

Session 40

6th of December

After being led on secret paths by the Myconids, the party emerge in the deepest parts of the Underdark, where the air is very hot and lava flows from the core of the world. They find a lava-filled chamber with a crumbled bridge, but thankfully manage to spot the Ropers hanging over the lava. The Ropers notice the party trying to cross with stealth, and the ensuing fighting draws a primal lava worm from the deepest reaches of the world. Lyra manages to polymorph the worm into a hummingbird, but cannot stop it from diving into the lava to return to its own form. Regardless, the party defeats the ropers and sends the worm fleeing down into the lava again.

Scouting ahead, they find what they have been looking for in a massive lava-lit cavern. The Scaled Sanctuary, an old Fire Giant fortress lies before them. Taking a breather, the party plans how to best approach this next obstacle.

Session 41

7th of December

The party sneak into the Scaled Sanctuary, hunting for the Dragonstaff. By a combination of magical invisibility and flight, they bypass the sentries posted on the bridge and enter the fortress through the main entrance. Still invisible, they sneak past the denizens of the Sanctuary and find a shrine to Surtur, the Lord of Fire Giants and the foretold enemy in Ragnarok, the Battle at the End of Days. They decipher the inscription above the statue, and all brand themselves with the mark of Surtur in order to pass the magical barriers of the Sanctuary.

At the peak of the highest tower, they find Rategos the Chained, a brass dragon captured by the Brethren and drained of his power. While they talk to Rategos, and try to figure out how to free him from his magical restraints, Grandmaster Manistes arrives carrying the Dragonstaff. The arrogant drow takes on the party single-handed and uses his staff to great effect.

Pinned to the floor by Lyra's magical hand, Manistes unleashes the full power of the Dragonstaff, and the combat moves to a demiplane inside the staff, where a shard of Igrites the Everburning still remains. The party make their stand against both Manistes and Igrites. Manistes is eventually defeated, leaving only the spirit of the first red dragon. The demiplane's hot lava takes its toll on the party, and despite their heroic efforts, they are worn down until only Lord Flashheart remains standing. Channeling the power of Thor, he lashes out at the ancient spirit, slaying it with his whip and opening a gateway out.

After escaping the demiplane, dragging the lifeless Manistes and the Dragonstaff, Raphael quickly starts preparing the scroll of teleportation that is their escape plan. With a final effort, Thundin manages to free Rategos from his bindings, and joins the party in teleporting away just as the first enemy reinforcements from below arrive. Arriving in Solstice, the singed and wounded party have their first moments of safety for a long while.

Session 42

8th of December

After tending to their wounds, the party send a message to Tepyristes of the Argent Summit before meeting with High Adjunct Tialvar and Grandmaster Grenwen about the newly recovered Dragonstaff. The leaders of the Pilgrim Knights are very impressed with the party, and promote them to Specialists in the Seekers.

Tepyristes arrives via teleportation, and urges the destruction of the staff. The party agrees to this course of action, and Tepyristes starts researching how this might be achieved with the aid of the Seekers, while the party takes some well earned downtime.

During the downtime, Frank and Lyra go to Greystone to ask around for Orson Brookshaw, the alchemist wizard who went into the Shadowfell with Jarmo and Senja. They learn he was a strange fellow, who referred to himself in the third person.

11th of December

Tepyristes calls the party back to share the results of his research. He believes that the staff could be destroyed if five ancient metallic dragons of different kinds breathed on it simultaneously.

Tepyristes is more than willing to represent the Silver flight in this endeavour, and he has a good relationship with the Golden dragons and will work to secure their aid. This leaves the Brass, Bronze, and Copper flights.

Tepyristes gives the party a sealed letter to deliver to Veramell, the Grand Emissary of the Estian League - she might know where they could find a bronze dragon. As for brass dragons, Rategos the Chained tells the party that as far as he knows, Ristelior the Watcher lives on Kiniden. Worryingly, no copper dragon is known to either Tepyristes or the Seekers.

Having recovered from her wounds, Luthanna finds the party to say goodbye before returning to Aurora's Sanctum.

The party set out for Kiniden and meet with Charitor Harwyn at the Shrine of Freya. She is not aware of any nearby dragons, and the party set out in their ship to sail around the island, and manage to spot a semi-hidden cave high up on a cliff wall. They get the attention of Ristelior, the lone inhabitant of the cave, who tells the party that a portal to another plane has opened up and caused heavy snowfalls, and he will not leave until this portal has been closed.

Borrowing a wand that lets them locate the portal, the party set out on foot across the snowy hills of Kiniden, arriving at a frozen pond in the middle of the night. Breaking through the ice in the form of a sperm whale, the party manages to defeat the frost devils and dispel the rift between the planes.

Session 43

11th of December

After defeating the devils at the frozen pond, the party find tracks that lead away and decide to push on and investigate, despite being past midnight. They catch up to another squad of devils from Helheim, and shadow them until the devils appear to find what they are looking for, a lonely figure walking in the snowfall. The party intervenes, and quickly realizes that the lonely figure is a revenant, an undead soul who clings to undeath by some great unjustice done to them. After defeating the ice devil storm-caster, the party settles in for a rest by some ruins, to recover their resources.

12th of December

After waking up, Lord Flashheart uses Speak With Dead to talk to the revenant, and they learn he is Victor Windby, a hunter from Kiniden, who was killed by a man named Edgar, whom he wants revenge on. Deciding to mete out some justice, they take Victor with them back to Ristelior and their ship. Ristelior will uphold his part of the bargain and tells the party to send word when they need him.

A quick boat-ride later, the party arrive in Kiniden, and with the help of Charitor Harwyn they find Jenny, the wife of Victor, who recently remarried a man named Edgar. Putting two and two together, the party pay a visit to Jenny, telling her the truth about what happened to her husband, and arrest Edgar, who decides to come quietly when faced with a whole squadron of high-ranking Pilgrim Knights. Edgar and Victor are both put in the hold of Freya's Purpose as it sets sail for Solstice.

14th of December

In Solstice Victor expires, his revenge complete as Edgar is headed for trial. The party decides to chip in the gold for the diamonds needed to resurrect him, and Victor is able to testify at his own murder trial, which is presided over by the Justicar of the Eternal Flame. Edgar is found guilty and is to be executed. Afterwards, Victor finds the party and thanks them.

Session 44

15th of December

The party go to Elderholm, a fortified town built on a small island off the Blackcoast Isle, a volcanic island. They come into contact with Amos Duskpetal, a halfling amber-picker who knows the island very well. Amos offers to guide the party, in exchange for payment. As they are to set out at dawn the next day in order to avoid the Ashclaws, the party spend an evening gambling with the villagers.

16th of December

Heading out very early, Amos leads the party up the volcano. They meet with a druidic hermit, who tells them of another cave system. After walking to the second cave, the party are ambushed by an Ashclaw as they look upon an underground cavern where an ornate organ is placed. After only a few seconds, they realize the Ashclaw is an illusion, and find the laughing Maratan, a copper dragon trickster.

Maratan is bored, and wants the party to play a prank on Marietta Mageblood, an archmage acquaintance of his, who lives in Elderholm. They are given an arcane clockwork device of mysterious purpose, and are told to activate it in Marietta's study.

Lord Flashheart teleports the party back to Elderholm and they go to find this archmage. Knocking on the door of her obsidian tower, they are greeted by Jenny, Marietta's daughter. The party seize their moment alone in her study when Marietta goes to find some payment for them, and activate the device.

Marietta is not the only target of this prank however, and the party are shrunk down to only a couple inches of height each, and many of the potions and other equipment in the study animate, turning the room into an arcane cacaphony. Of special note is Pandora, a tressym familiar who curiously investigates the now bite-size adventurers.

After beating back Pandora and a pair of animated potions, the party climb onto the table where the device stands, humming and whirring. They find a set of rune-scribed glass pieces have come loose, but manage to put them back in the correct order and deactivate the device, restoring them to their original size.

A very furious Marietta emerges, wand in hand, and demands to know where they found this device. Marietta is not happy at all, and with a single swipe of her wand deposits the entire party outside her tower in a large pile. Maratan, in his elf form, stands nearby and finds the whole situation very funny, and agrees to help the party in their quest.

Session 45

19th of December

The party arrive in Covenant and make contact with Grand Emissary Veramell, who asks them to meet a friend of hers on an island outside Covenant. The party go there and are greeted by an Ancient Bronze Dragon, which turns out to be Veramell's true form.

Veramell says she would like to help, but needs a distraction for the nobles of the city if she is to leave the city. She has been working with some unsavory contacts of hers to dig up dirt on a noble of the city, and asks the party to fetch the information from the Dryad's Rest, a seedy bar in Covenant.

Visiting the bar in question, the party are ushered upstairs once they give the password, and are introduced to Enigma, a 'legitimate businessman' who says he needs a favor before the information requested can be delivered. A former associate of his has started a new brewery, which is siphoning business from his bar. Enigma would like the brewery's book of recipes, and the party cannot be linked to him, making them perfect for the job.

20th of December

After reconnaissance the previous night, the party split in two for the heist. Lyra and Lord Flashheart cause a cacophony upstairs which disracts the guards, while Frank and Thundin sneak down into the cellar. The cellar crew encounters Claws, a were-tiger brewmaster who is brewing a batch of beer with his recipe book. After a struggle, Frank manages to snatch the book and runs for the exit, while Thundin teleports out. Upstairs, Lyra suggests the guards take a day off, which most of them do. Lord Flashheart teleports them all to their ship, without the party having spilled any blood.

Session 46

20th of December

The party receive a message from High Adjunct Tialvar, instructing them to report back to Solstice for a special assignment as soon as possible. In a hurry, the party finish up their business in Covenant, learning that a recent dead noble might have been assassinated. They talk to Lady Veramell, who agrees to help them destroy the Dragonstaff.

Using Lady Veramell's influence, the party secure magical transportation to Solstice, where a war council of Pilgrim Knights have formed. Seeker spies have reported that a powerful necromancer named Silas Darkshard is about to perform a foul ritual in Darkfalls, the ruined city in the Desolate Reef. The party are to lead a small task force against this threat.

Staging at Aurora's Sanctum the party meets Aurora herself, a Solar envoy from Freya herself. Luthanna joins them for the mission, and they teleport to the outskirts of Darkfalls. Heading into the city with gryphon riders screening their advance, the party meet a patrol of vampires, who are defeated with thunder and light. Continuing into the town, they find the Temple of Thor desecrated and the ritual already started inside.

Session 47

20th of December

The party faces down with Silas Darkshard as he is trying to complete his dark ritual. After taking some big hits, Silas flees by teleporting out and leaves his minions to take care of the party. Enraged by the desecration of Thor's temple, Lord Flashheart delivers the final hit to the Death Knight with a massive critical Electrocute. Luthanna slays the fallen Valkyrie and claims her winged helmet for her order.

The party return to Solstice, where High Adjunct Tialvar is glad the ritual was stopped, but would have preferred Silas to not get away. He instructs the party to coordinate the dragon allies to destroy the Dragonstaff as soon as possible.

24th of December

After calling all their dragon allies, the party are teleported to the Argent Summit, where the dragons have gathered. In the morning after they arrive, the party joins Tepyristes and the other dragons outside. With five ancient metallic dragons breathing on it simultaneously, the staff starts to crack before imploding in on itself, leaving only metal scraps. Tepyristes tells the party that the metallic flights are in their debt, and gives them a silver scale insignia as a first installment of this obligation.

Session 48

24th of December

The party contact High Adjunct Tialvar, who tells them that the time for the final assault on Callatis is close. They are to make what preparations they can before returning to Solstice. Going via Greystone, the party pick up what gear they can muster to protect them from the dragons ahead. They rest in Lyra's Magnificient Mansion, a final luxurious experience before heading into danger.

26th of December

The Pilgrim Knights arrive in the Turquoise Islands and start their siege on Callatis. The party are sent in to infiltrate the city and strike at the Redscale leadership. Through some bad luck, they are discovered by the dragon Maregios right as they arrive at the center of town, and battle breaks out. Luckily, the party were well prepared against the flame attacks from the dragon forces, and defeat Motan, the dragonborn commander of Callatis, and Maregios, consort of Philomeda.

Session 49

26th of December

Heading into the temple, the party finds Wild-as-the-flame, the fire-worshipping druid who is the leader of the Gingercoat clan of tabaxi. When the party engages him, he summons a massive flame tiger, and teleports around the room while madly flinging fire around him. Just as the party are joined by agent Griffin, they finally manage to lock him down and end the Gingercoat reign over Callatis.

The party raid the reliquary of he temple, which is now reconsecrated to Skadi alone. The reliquary is protected by a clever password lock, but Lyra manages to guess the correct password on her second attempt, finding a Red Dragon Mask inside.

After taking some time to catch their breath, the party gets word that the army outside the city has reached the southern gate, and they go there to try and help the siege from the inside. The gates are defended by a squadron of Redscales, but the party manages to outmaneuver the guards and open the gates, letting their allies into the city and routing the dragon defenders. With the siege of Callatis over, all that remains is to march on Philomeda's lair.

Session 50

26th of December

The party meet with Grandmaster Grenwen in his command tent outside Callatis. The city has been breached and the dragons routed back to Philomeda's lair, which is the last task that remains. After catching their breath, the party march through the desert with a Pilgrim army, in order to end this menace, once and for all. Upon arrival at the lair, the party are teleported inside the lair, joined once again by Luthanna.

Sneaking down through the eerily empty lair, they come across a door with pictograms of different colored dragons. The pictograms are carved in runes that react to magic. Half-deducing, half-guessing, they manage to pass the door by casting spells whose schools correspond to the pictograms on the door.

At the core of the Crimson Caves, a volcano that serves as Philomeda's lair, the party come across the massive red broodmother, in the volcanic chamber where she stores her hoard. A fierce fight ensues, with the lava rising around their feet the party seek higher ground, while Philomeda assaults them with fire, claws, and magic. With the lava almost filling the chamber, the party break through her scaly hide and she unleashes her full fury upon them. In the end, Lord Flashheart fells the dragon with a single bolt of radiance from the sky above the volcanic shaft.

When Philomeda fell, the lava stabilized in the chamber, and the party were rescued by a squadron of griffin riders through the chimney. With the dragons defeated for now and Callatis liberated unto Pilgrim Knight control, this chapter of our heroes' story ends.

Epilogue

All party members were awarded the Hero of the Dawn, the highest award for merit that the Pilgrim Knights can bestow.

Lyra von Quill

Lyra retired from Pilgrim service and eventually started a tavern, operating out of her Magnificent Mansion. The bar has a dragon theme, and all her pets live with her in the staterooms above the bar.

Frank

Frank started a detective agency called Day and Light with Luthanna, using their complementary skillsets to unravel mysteries across the islands. Sometimes they work for the Pilgrims, sometimes the highest bidder. Regardless, no secret is safe with these two around.

Thundin

Thundin settled with Lyra, and uses the brewing recipes he acquired in his travels to make the beer for her bar, to great acclaim. Eventually unlocked the secret to the alemental formulae, improving the brewing efficiency considerably.

Lord Flashheart

Lord Flashheart, Champion of Thor and Slayer of Philomeda, sails the Estian Seas aboard the Freya's Purpose, spreading the word of his god wherever he goes. He makes sure to stop by Lyra's bar often in order to reminisce about their adventures together with a mug of good ale.

Raphael Costeau

Raphael continued his service in the Pilgrim Knights, quickly gaining the rank of Adjunct. He now commands his own team of Seekers in their intelligence gathering missions.